Yes on Issue 1 Ad Features Father Who Lost Son to Overdose

Press Release | October 5, 2018

Rick Hughes Says His Son Garrett Needed Treatment Not Punishment

COLUMBUS – The Yes on Issue 1 campaign began airing its second television ad today featuring Rick Hughes, a father from New Franklin, who lost his son Garrett to an opioid overdose. In the ad, Rick states he support a Yes vote on Issue 1 because his son needed treatment, not punishment.

You can view the ad that is running statewide here:

Here is a link to a longer video of Rick Hughes talking about losing his son Garrett to an overdose:

Text of 30 second ad:

“I loved being a father. My son was everything to me. Garrett was my buddy. It was very painful to watch my son struggle with addiction. The saddest day in my life was the day that I got the phone call that my son had died. What my son Garrett needed wasn’t punishment. He needed treatment. I support Issue 1 because I like to think that if Garrett would have gotten treatment earlier that we would all be better off for it.” Rick Hughes

Text of longer video:
“My son Garrett was a wonderful boy. He had a wonderful childhood, he played baseball from the time he was about 5 or 6 all the way through high school, I was his cub scout leader for five years, I coached his baseball team, we used to love going to theme parks, amusement parks, riding the coasters, we used to love riding the coasters with no hands… He was my buddy.

To watch your son go through addiction like we did was a pretty painful experience. Right after high school, Garrett was pulled over for a traffic violation. Well, they charged him with felony possession and right away they took away his drivers license, wasn’t able to begin school, they made it harder to find work, it just impacted him in a whole lot of ways. The trouble he got into and the punishment he had to endure, none of that stopped him from wanting to keep on using drugs. He eventually took an overdose and he died. I support Issue 1 because I watched what my son went through. He needed drug treatment, he needed to be straightened out, he didn’t need to be dragged down even further with a felony conviction… What he needed was help.

We have to do something different, and that’s why I support Issue 1, and I hope you will too.” Rick Hughes

“The number of overdose deaths in Ohio soared by more than 20 percent from 2016 to 2017, and sadly we are losing on average 14 loved ones a day to this crisis. A Yes vote on Issue 1 is the People’s Plan to address the opioid epidemic in Ohio so we can reduce our overcrowded prison system and redirect those savings into more treatment in our communities to save lives,” said Dennis Willard, spokesperson for the Yes on Issue 1 campaign.